Protein Crisps

The world of protein snacks has exploded in recent years, as the health conscious do everything they can to improve their nutrition without completely eliminating enjoyment from their lives.

We all love snacking, but if we can find a snack product we enjoy that is also beneficial in some way why would be not go for it?

What is the UK’s favourite snack food? Crisps.

More than 66% of Brits chow down on a bag of crisps when they are feeling peckish, but most people go for the nutritionally empty kind that are essentially nothing but fat and salt.

But did you know that there is such a thing as protein crisps?

These are not just regular crisps with added protein, they are made of completely different ingredients so they can claim to be healthy in comparison to a bag of Walkers. They are still crisps though, so any claims that they are healthy can only go so far.

Here’s everything you need to know about protein crisps if you are considering working them into your diet.

Ingredients

Protein Crisp Ingredients

The market for protein crisps is bigger than you might think, so I can’t give a definitive list of ingredients as the different brands all have their own products and recipes.

There are even a range of crisp types, such as puffs, regular crisps, crackers and more.

Most are made of some of the following ingredients though:

  • Lentils
  • Chickpeas
  • Flaxseed
  • Sorghum

These are all naturally high in protein and fibre as well as containing additional vitamins and minerals, but they have the additional benefit of mimicking the satisfying crunch of a regular crisp which makes them ideal alternatives.

You will find products made from other ingredients too, such as soy, whey and vegetables, but when it comes to a base for their crisps these are arguably the most common choices by manufacturers.

As always, the fewer ingredients the better, in general. However, with crisps this is difficult because they are a processed food and they come in different flavours, so there will always be flavourings and the like.

Can They Help You Stay Healthy?

Are Protein Crisps Healthy

Yes and no. It depends why you are eating them.

Someone watching their weight who just wants to be able to snack with less impact on their waistline would probably choose a different product than someone who was mainly interested in the protein count and not so worried about calories or fat.

For example, there is a product called Pork Puffs which are 95% pork rind. These have 16g of protein per bag and not many calories, but they are quite fatty, accounting for about 10% of your recommended daily intake.

If you’re main concern is piling on protein then great, but if you were more interested in reducing the damage of your snacking then maybe Proper Chips’ lentil based crisps would be better, with half the fat but only 1.9g of protein per bag.

I would say that whatever your goals, there will be a protein crisp product out there that suits. You just have to do a bit of hunting to find it.

Some general guidance would be to look for products that are low in salt (6g a day recommended) and sugar (30g a day recommended), and also to keep an eye out for how much saturated fat they contain as well as the balance between carbs and calories.

This is just general advice though, you know your goals and your routine better than anyone else so only you can decide if and how protein crisps fit in for you.

They aren’t healthy in the sense that someone trying to increase their vitamin intake would go out and buy them, but they are certainly healthier than regular crisps so if you are going to snack on a bag it may as well be a bag of these.

Some Brands to Get You Started

Protein Crisp Brands

I mentioned a couple earlier, but a few options I have tried and enjoyed are:

  • MyProtein – These guys do a range called ‘Popped’, which come in BBQ, Hot n Spicy, Salt n Vinegar, Thai Sweet Chilli and a couple of others. Nice and crunchy, these are baked rather than fried, contain less than 100 calories per bag, and at least 10g of protein.
  • UFIT Crunchers – You can tell the crunch is important to me can’t you? These are marketed as popped protein chips, circular and very tasty in 3 different flavours, with 8g of protein but 142 calories per bag. They are gluten free and vegan as well as being low in fat.
  • Quest – They do an original style or a tortilla style crisp and have the widest selection of flavours available that I have seen. You get a massive 20g of protein per bag, at the cost of 142 calories and just 5g total carbs.

There are many more so don’t be shy to get stuck in and try a few to see what you think .